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Welcome. I'm Ritchie.

I'm proudly fighting for you and your neighbors in the Bronx. How can I help?


The Latest

From My Office

Dec 4, 2023
Press
U.S. Reps. Torres, González-Colón, and Soto Push for More Information on FEMA’s Plan to Remove Temporary Power Generator in Puerto Rico

Washington, DC- U.S. Representative Ritchie Torres (NY-15), Jenniffer González-Colón (PR), and Darren Soto (FL-09) sent a letter to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell with concerns about FEMA’s current plans to remove the temporary power generation units in Puerto Rico. FEMA initially indicated its intention to provide 700MW of dispatchable energy within two months for two years […]


News & Announcements


Dec 6, 2023
Press

Rep. Torres, Sen. Gillibrand, and Sen. Padilla Introduce the LGBTQI+ Business Equal Credit Enforcement & Investment Act

Washington, D.C.- Today, Rep. Ritchie Torres (NY-15) introduced the LGBTQI+ Business Equal Credit Enforcement and Investment Act with Senators Gillibrand (NY) and Padilla (CA). The bill would require financial institutions to collect data on LGBTQI+-owned businesses’ access to credit and capital, and amend part of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, which requires financial institutions to […]



Nov 20, 2023
Press

U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres Awarded $1,000,000 in Community Project Funding to Hostos Community College 

Bronx, NY- Today, U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres (NY-15) awarded $1,000,000 in community project funding to Hostos Community College in the Bronx. The funding, which Rep. Torres successfully secured in the final Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, will be used to enable sixteen students to transfer to high-quality baccalaureate and postgraduate degrees in Public Health at Columbia […]



Nov 10, 2023
Press

U.S. Reps. Torres and Garbarino Introduce The Bipartisan Saving Vet Halls Act of 2023

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representatives Ritchie Torres (NY-15) and Andrew R. Garbarino (NY-02), announced the introduction of H.R. 6337, The Saving Vet Halls Act of 2023, bipartisan legislation that would create a grant program to address the needs of local Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) as they fight to keep their facilities open. VSOs such as the American […]


Issues

Housing for All


There is no issue more important to me than expanding access to safe and affordable housing. When I was growing up in the Bronx, public housing was a lifeline for my family. My mother struggled everyday to support her 3 children on $4.25 per hour, the minimum wage in the 1990s. I would not be where I am today without the stability affordable housing gave me and my family. I want to ensure every American, no matter their zip code, can say the same.  We need more affordable housing to tackle the homelessness crisis. Every day, I’m fighting for the development of more affordable housing, a universal housing voucher program, a sweeping reinvestment in our existing public housing infrastructure to address billions of dollars of capital needs, and building back our housing infrastructure better, faster, and cheaper. You can count on me to make sure the Bronx gets its fair share.

Poverty


In the world’s wealthiest nation, poverty is a policy choice – not an inevitability. The continued public health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have laid bare the systemic inequities stemming from decades of racism, poverty, and economic inequality. Congress needs to commit to enacting policies that prioritize the needs of the 140 million people in the United States who are poor, low-income, or one emergency away from economic ruin. With the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is now more important than ever that Congress supports and uplifts our most vulnerable populations – children and their families. The crisis of child poverty strikes close to home for me. I am committed to reforming and expanding the Child Tax Credit, which would slash child poverty in half. The National Academies of Sciences panel on child poverty found an enhanced Child Tax Credit to be the single most effective tool for reducing child poverty in America. In the South Bronx, 68 percent of children are deprived of the full benefit because their parents earn too little. We owe it to children and parents to make the Child Tax Credit work for them. I’m fighting every day to pass legislation that ensures the enhanced and expanded Child Tax Credit is made permanent. 98 percent of children in the South Bronx will benefit from the expanded Child Tax Credit. This critical investment in our children will improve educational and economic outcomes for future generations and break the cycle of racially concentrated poverty. In Congress, I am committed to ensuring that health, housing, schools, and jobs are viewed as fundamental rights for everyone. By radically distributing resources and reinvesting in social services, we can build a social safety net that will guarantee a better tomorrow for everyone

Rebuilding the Economy


After the devastation and hardship New Yorkers experienced this past year, a post-COVID world cannot come soon enough. New York City risks becoming a shadow of its former self if we don’t make the right investments to get our economy back on track.  The dual crises of COVID-19 and systemic racism have magnified the economic inequality that plagues our country, and we can’t afford to return to the pre-pandemic status quo. We need to give hard working people a fighting chance at success.  As a member of the House Committee on Financial Services, I’m fighting every day to rebuild a more inclusive middle class. I’m in favor of increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour, which would give millions of Americans a fighting chance at a better life by lifting people from poverty, narrowing racial pay gaps, and building a more equitable economy for everyone.  I’m also a strong supporter of the labor movement, which is our best hope to revitalize the middle class. Strengthening unions is a pivotal step towards mitigating growing income inequality and worker safety concerns. Congress needs to significantly expand the rights of workers to unionize and enhance protections for those whose efforts to unionize are impeded by their employers.

Recent Votes


H.R.
5376

Inflation Reduction Act of 2022

outcome

Bill Passed

how i voted

Voted Yes

what it means for you

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 will make a historic down payment on deficit reduction to fight inflation,
invest in domestic energy production and manufacturing, and reduce carbon emissions by roughly 40 percent
by 2030. The bill will also allow Medicare to negotiate for prescription drug prices and extend the
expanded Affordable Care Act program for three years, through 2025.



H.R.
3967
Aug 2, 2022
Veterans

Honoring our PACT Act of 2022

outcome

Bill Passed

how i voted

Voted Yes

what it means for you

This bill comprehensively addresses toxic exposures that have impacted veterans from toxic burn pits. This bill would also help Vietnam War veterans get care after their exposure to Agent Orange. The PACT Act ensures that veterans who have been exposed to dangerous substances get adequate health care.



H.R.
8404
Jul 19, 2022
LGBTQ+ Rights

Respect for Marriage Act

outcome

Bill Passed

how i voted

Voted Yes

what it means for you

This bill repeals and replaces provisions that define, for purposes of federal law, marriage as between a man and a woman and spouse as a person of the opposite sex with provisions that recognize any marriage that is valid under state law. This bill would further codify gay and interracial marriage.


It is the honor of a lifetime to represent the Bronx. The pandemic has shown us how vital it is to address systemic issues of race, climate change, housing, & economic inequality. I look forward to fighting for change & for the Bronx’s essential workers in DC.

— Ritchie Torres